Know why more people and celebrities are quitting social media apps

Social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter are vastly important to millions, yet some of the world’s biggest stars have famously signed off from them - some for only hours, others never to return. Among Bollywood celebrities, a few well-known personalities who have quit social media are Sonu Nigam, Shehla Rashid, Farhan Akhtar. Also well-known foreign artist such as Justin Beiber, Kanye West, Adele, Selena Gomez, and Ariana Grande have at some point or the other logged out of Instagram to regain peace of mind

Once upon a time when people used to get home from work or teenagers would come after school and college, the people they would spend time with would be their family and friends.

But with the advent of social media, we are losing out on the real human connections. Now people prefer spending some quality time with not only their family and loved ones, but their social media accounts too.

Whether it’s drooling over the sight of delicious meals on Snapchat or comparing who has ended up with the biggest pile of likes on Instagram, social media will be very much part of the family, whether we like it or not.

The lines between the virtual and real world have been blurred. We all use it; our friends use it, advertisers use it, celebrities, retail brands, etc. The world population is 7.3 billion and the Internet has 3.17 billion users. With these kinds of numbers, all types of users will undoubtedly be subjected to some form of social media trolling during their usage.

Trolls, who create conflict on social media sites by making controversial statements with the purpose of causing havoc, can be found in almost every corner of the web. They can create problems for people, businesses, and the general well-being of some aspects of social media.

Trolling is defined as creating discord on the Internet by starting quarrels or upsetting people by posting inflammatory or off-topic messages in an online community

According to a new report by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK, Instagram is the most detrimental social networking app for young people’s mental health, followed closely by Snapchat.

Their study, #StatusofMind, surveyed almost 1,500 young people between the ages of 14 to 24 on how certain social media platforms impact health and well-being issues such as anxiety, depression, self-identity and body image.

All these factors combined causes people to quit their social media accounts as they no longer want this kind of negativity impacting their life.

While speaking to My Medical Mantra, Dr Pritam Chandak, consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist from Nagpur, said, “Continuous usage of the Internet and social media apps affects a person’s concentration, productivity, and also causes a lack of sleep.”

Dr Harish Shetty, consultant psychiatrist at LH Hiranandani Hospital, said, “In this modern day and age, many people have developed an Internet addiction and social media addiction. This especially holds true for celebrities who are hooked onto social media sites like Instagram and Twitter. Because of this, it can also affect them negatively. As they grow more and more isolated from the real world, and then, quitting social media seems to be the only viable option so that they can get peace of mind.”

Dr Sagar Mundada, a consultant psychiatrist at Health Spring Clinic, stated, “There are many factors behind why celebrities are leaving social media. Celebs are constantly trolled online and this makes them contemplate whether or not they should deactivate their social media accounts.”

He added, “Even though, Instagram serves as a platform for marketing; they are also prone to negative publicity. Being overexposed to social media; makes it harder to differentiate between the real and virtual world. As they are so engrossed in that world. These are few reasons why celebrities consider going offline.”